Dual-drum winch structure



Dec. 26, 1967 F. L. LAWRENCE 3,360,242

DUAL-DRUM WINCH STRUCTURE Filed July 5; 1966 FRANK L. LAWRENCE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS (Fig/Mg United States Patent 3,360,242 DUAL-DRUM WINCHSTRUCTURE Frank L. Lawrence, Suite 803, 1835 Morton Ave., Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada Filed July 5, 1966, Ser. No. 562,763 1 Claim.(Cl. 254184) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dual-drum winch with thespooling drum of one having a diameter considerably smaller than that ofthe other, the larger drum wholly housing the smaller drum and having aslot running its entire Width through which cable is passed to thesmaller drum, means being provided for either driving the smaller drumwhile arresting the rotation, other than for a creeping advance, of thelarger drum or driving the two drums in concert.

This invention relates to dual-drum winch structure, and one especiallywhich is designed to permit cable to be wound in part upon one drum andin part upon the other drum of the winch.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a winch the spoolingcapability of which permits large numbers of cable lays to be handledsafely in that, by dividing the lays between two drums, the necessarybuildup upon either said drum is held within safe limits placing noundue amount of pressure on the side flanges of the drum.

This and other objects and advantages in view will appear and beunderstood in the course of the following description and claims, theinvinetion consisting in the novel construction and in the adapted andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Description of drawing In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinalvertical section illustrating a winch constructed to embody preferredteachings of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view thereof on line 22 ofFIG. 1.

Description of invention Referring to said drawing, the numerals and 11denote cheek bitts providing a journal for an arbor 12 powered in anysuitable manner as, for example, by a gear wheel 13 keyed to the arborand meshed by a motordriven pinion (not shown) which is controlled bothas to speed and the direction of rotation.

Outer and inner spooling drums 14 and 15, respectively, each providingthe usual side flanges guarding an annular spooling surface, are mountedon the arbor. The outer drum 14 has a hollow center defined between endwalls 16-17 and a surrounding wall 18 which forms its spooling, surface,and the inner drum is housed in such hollow center. The inner drum has ahub section 19 which is keyed to the arbor.

One of the two end walls 16 and 17 is bolted or otherwise removablysecured in place. Both of these end walls provide a hub section, as 20and 21, and each said hub section receives a journal upon the arbor frombearing sleeves 22. Drum 14 admits of being coupled to or uncoupled fromthe arbor at will, and for purposes of illustration I have shown forthis purpose a runner 23 splined upon a collar 24 keyed to the arbor andshiftable by a fork 25 into and out of coupling engagement with externalteeth formed upon the hub section 20. It is obvious that means such, forexample, as an air clutch can be employed to effectuate the couplingaction.

3,360,242 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 p CC As will be seen from an inspectionof FIG. 2, the outer drums annular wall 19 has a moderately wide slot 26extending transversely of the drum from the flange at one side to theflange at the other side of the spooling surface.

A brake means 27, is provided for arresting the rotation of the outerdrum 14 during periods when the same is not drive-coupled to the livearbor. The functioning of this arrestation means is desirably anautomatic action made responsive to the operations of coupling the outerdrum to and uncoupling the outer drum from the live arbor, and namely sothat the drum is released (made free to rotate) when coupled to thearbor and is arrested (held against rotation) when uncoupled from thearbor. However, such arrestation admits of being lessened at the will ofthe operator in a degree sufficient to allow the outer drum to creep ina moderate degree. The rotating inner drum perforce supplies theinfluence which causes the outer drum to creep when the braking effortis diminished. The purpose thereof will hereinafter appear.

In the use of the winch, a cable 0 which is to be spooled upon the dualdrums is first passed over a suitable lead block 28 and run therefromthrough the slot 26, to be anchored by its spooling end to the innerdrum 15. With the outer drum arrested and uncoupled from the inner drum,the arbor is now driven in a counterclockwise direction as viewed fromthe vantage point of FIG. 2. Spooling proceeds until the inner drum isfilled with a prescribed number of cable lays, whereupon the outer drumis coupled to the arbor and the cable then winds itself upon the outerdrum. When paying out cable, a reverse procedure is followed, and thisis to to say that the two drums turn as one in a clockwise directionuntil the outer drum is cleared of cable. The outer drum is thenuncoupled and arrested, with the slot 26 located so that its median lineapproximately coincides with a plane projected tangent to the outer layof the inner drums cable wraps through the lead block.

The above-mentioned creep to which the arrested outer drum partakes,during a take-in or pay-out of cable to and from the inner drum, is incompensation of the change in the diameter of the circle (defined by theoutermost lay) from which the tangent is projected.

The present invention finds particular usefulness in the yarder of aballoon-logging or other lang-haul logging operation, in whichapplication a respective one of two dual-drum sets are provided for eachof the two ends 2 of the log-hauling cable. An applicable yarder isillus-- trated and described in my co-pending application titledInfinite Ratio Driving Interlock for Spooling'Drurns of a Yarder. 1

It is believed that the invention will have been clearly understood fromthe foregoing detailed description of my now-preferred illustratedembodiment. Changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention and it is accordinglymy inention that no limitations be implied and that the hereto annexedclaim be given the broadest interpretation to which the employedlanguage fairly admits.

What is claimed is:

In a dual-drum winch structure, in combination: a live arbor, an innerspooling drum locked to the arbor and providing a spooling surfaceguarded by side flanges, an outer spooling drum journaled upon the arborand likewise providing a spooling surface guarded by side flanges andjournal-mounted for rotation about the center of the arbor as an axis ina position placing its spooling surface in surrounding relation to theinner drum with space therebetween to accommodate multiple lays ofcable, the outer drum having a transverse slot extending the full widthof its spooling surface for the access of cable being spooled on theinner drum, and means for driving the arbor while holding the outer drumin an References Cited arrested condition to spool multiple lays ofcable upon the inner drum and then establishing a driving couple UNITEDSTATES PATENTS from the arbor to the outer drum for spooling multiple1,527,478 2/1925 Harper 254184 following lays of cable upon the outerdrum, the outer 5 2,802,038 8/1957 Ireland 254 184 drum providing endwalls acting with an annular wall on which the spooling surface isformed to wholly enclose EVON BLUNK Primary Examiner the inner drum, oneof the end walls being bolted in place, H. C. HORNSBY, AssistantExaminer.

